COFFEE BREAK with... Tony Walker, Senior Business Agent

When did you join Christie & Co?
June 2018.

Where were you when you accepted your role at Christie & Co? 
Standing in the garden at home.

What was your first job?
Pot wash at the Star Inn Pub, Woodstock.

In a couple of sentences, can you tell us a bit about your job at Christie & Co? 
I work in the dental team helping practice owners maximise the value of their businesses when they sell.

What’s your favourite thing about Christie & Co?
The people and the culture.

What's a favourite project that you’ve worked on at Christie & Co so far?
The sale of a practice in Essex which was delayed by the first lockdown but put back together and sold for higher price post-lockdown.

What’s been the biggest challenge of your career so far? 
The disruption caused by COVID-19 and associated lockdowns is by far the most challenging event to date.

What’s been a highlight of your career so far? 
Being in the dental team at Christie & Co, obviously!

How has the industry changed since you started at Christie & Co? 
I’ve been on the team for a little over two years and even in that time it has become more active as dentists and outside investors alike have come to appreciate the clinical and financial rewards of ownership in the sector.

Who in your industry do you feel most inspired by? 
I have a renewed admiration for dentists generally who really ‘stepped up to the plate’ when practices re-opened in June last year and so many have gone above and beyond to make sure they can be open and see patients.

Tell us a bit about your life outside work – what are your hobbies? 
I like to swim, bike, and run. My new mountain bike has been getting a lot of use recently.

What’s your hometown? Where do you live now? 
Born in Oxford and have lived in Windlesham in Surrey for the last 20 years.

Where’s the best place you’ve been on holiday? 
Rio de Janeiro – it was wild, and I’ll leave it at that…

What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Tardiness.

If you could live and work in any city, where would you go? 
Anywhere on the French Riviera - beautiful and only a couple of hours from a ski lift in the winter.

What would be your desert island meal?
A ribeye with a nice red wine.

What’s your favourite film?
Heat.

What is your favourite tv/movie quote?
Friends, when Monica says “Shut up, the camera adds 10 pounds” to which the reply comes “Oh okay, so how many cameras are actually on you?”

What is one thing on your bucket list? 
Doing an Ironman.

What news source do you read every day?
The Telegraph.

What’s your social media platform of choice? 
It’s got to be YouTube, it really has a video on everything!